Councillors have been advised to approve plans to place a 122.5 metre weather mast near Builth Wells for a five-year period, despite local objections to the proposal.

The planning application has been lodged by Aberedw Energy Park Limited, who are also behind proposals to build 18 wind turbines at the site which is three kilometres to the east of Builth Wells.

Aberedw Energy Park Limited is the development vehicle for Bute Energy, which specialises in wind and solar energy parks.

The application will be discussed by councillors at a meeting of Powys County Council’s Planning Committee on Thursday, January 30, after having been “called in” by the local member, Cllr Gareth E Jones of the Powys Independents group.

Cllr Jones said: “The reason for call in is the lack of information in respect to the potential impact on birdlife landscape and the environment.

Glascwm Community Council has lodged a formal objection against the proposal on the grounds of: ”Its negative visual impact and the installation being detrimental to the ground nesting birds on the hill and the Red Kites in the area.”

Planning agent Stuart Langer of LUC has explained the proposal in a planning, design, and access statement .

Mr Langer said: “The anemometer mast will be erected within the site of the proposed Aberedw Energy Park, which is at an early stage in its planning and development.

“Aberedw Energy Park will include up to 18 wind turbines of up to 200 metre tip height.”

Any potential application for wind turbines will be dealt with by Welsh Government planning inspectors as a Development of National Significance (DNS).

Mr Langer continued: “It is standard practice for an energy park development to secure a separate permission for an anemometer mast as part of the design process.

“The anemometer mast is required to monitor and record accurate wind data, such as direction and speed over a period of time, data from which will be used to inform the design of the energy park.”

He added that the visibility of the mast would be “limited” and would with “distance” become increasingly less visible to the human eye.

Senior planning officer Catherine James has stressed in her report that the application needs to be looked at on its own merits, and that any potential windfarm development in the background should not be a “consideration” for councillors.

Ms James said: “On balance it is considered that the proposal complies with relevant planning policies, and the recommendation is therefore one of consent.”

As the site is on common land, an application for consent to conduct the work there would need to be agreed by Welsh Government planning inspectors before the weather mast can be built.

If built the park could generate 108 megawatts (MW) of electricity which would be enough to power the equivalent of 97,000 homes a year.